Roses Among Willows
by heLLzCat
Summary: a semi historical fanfic of a life of a geisha. With Izaya as a geisha; working at a high ranked okiya/geisha house at the area of Gion kobu. Everything begins with his meeting with a son of a rich merchant; Shizuo! rated T for shonen-ai. Shizaya
1. Chapter 1

**Unimportant author comment: **This is a semi-historical fanfic of a geisha's life. Centering on Izaya as a geisha.

Mind you, geishas are not originally prostitutes- they are traditional art performer.

Within the 18th century, when geisha first emerge, the very first geishas were actually men. I haven't seen how these male geisha actually looks like – whether they truly dress up as a woman or not.

But in this fic, let's picture Izaya the way it's comfortable for you to imagine, thus, to preserve his original character design. xD

Envisioning of a pretty Izaya with hair ornaments and beautiful kimono would be encouraged.

But a drag queen Izaya is not. xDD/shot

A further reading of Geisha on Wikipedia is encouraged.

**Disclaimer :** if durarara is mine, it would be rated 18+ for hardcore yaoi. so yeah~

* * *

A familiar playful smirk painted on his lips, and a pair of crimson orbs glimmers mischievously.

"oh finally. The day has come for me to meet my money bag."

An older woman clad in pale green kimono who sits beside him could only glare and sigh in annoyance.

"Izaya. Watch your mouth. A role of financial supporter would be very useful for your career, so please refrain from addressing your danna with such an impolite manner."

" What are you so worried about? ..ne, Namie onee-san?"

" Izaya, you may be a prodigy of this okiya, and everybody here knows that you were such a talented maiko.

But you are now considered as a fully fledge geisha. I can't continue to be your onee-san, because a mentor won't be needed anymore once you reach this age.

So..please behave, even without me."

" it's okay, I understand all that, onee-san."

**[Izaya's POV]**

Okay, was that all too confusing for a beginning? Well then, let me tell you more of things in detail.

I had never actually known of my background, since I don't know where my family went- neither I have memory of my earlier childhood.

So I was a very poor orphan back then, and I lived on the street around Kyoto.

Basically, I lived my life just like a stray cat.

One day, I was just lurking around the alleyway; not expecting anything special to happen. -Or if anything special were to happen, I could not expect more than a kind passerby who might give me some money or free meals.

But it seems like it's not my fate to spend the rest of my life as a stray cat.

Because at that day, I met a very nice old lady, and she was mesmerized by my beauty – or so she said.

Well, I can't deny that either, since people around me has found my red eyes very interesting, while others had been calling me a pretty boy for my feature.

Though appearance can fool you most of the time. I used to fight a lot, and even though I was small, no gangs on the street dare to mess with me.

Long story short, the old lady gave me a very interesting offer.

Turn out that she's an owner of a high class okiya ; a geisha house at the area of Gion Kobu, and she offers to take me in as a maiko/geisha apprentice there.

I didn't really have a choice back then, and it sounded like a very benefit-able deal for me.

I could keep living as a future-less and homeless stray cat on the street, or, taking this chance and live a prestigious and comfortable life as a high-class geisha.

So, on that day; at the age of 13, I sealed my fate.

Not long after I was taken in, I began my first formal training as minarai; which means, I have to try to learn my lessons by watching how the senior geishas do their works.

To do so, I decided to follow a senior geisha whom I called Namie onee-san.

Namie has never been a patient and caring mentor to me, yet I find it interesting to always tag along to her because of her easily annoyed personality.

Yup, I find it amusing to toy around with other's emotion. So bugging Namie has becoming my daily habit.

After I went through rigorous training for years and years, I manage to prove myself to the people around me that I'm not just a random guy picked up from the street- as I manage to obtain acknowledgement even from the senior geishas; that I'm a truly talented one.

I become a well-known prodigy from this okiya.

Now I'm 21 year old, and I've reached the age when a mentor is no longer needed.

I've passed the coming of age ceremony called Mizuage, and now, as an established and fully fledge geisha, it's time for me to take a danna or a patron.

A danna is of course an art appreciator, a contributor to the continuation of this geisha business.

They usually are very wealthy since their role is to be a financial support of a geisha.

And today, is the day that I will meet my danna for the very first time.

**[End of Izaya's POV]**

Izaya yawns ungracefully just to emphasis his boredom of the long waiting.

"so..who was this person again?"

impatience is apparent on the raven haired male.

" the first son of Heiwajima family- which means that this danna of yours is a successor of his family's business.

The late himself was a successful merchant who goes back and forth from Japan to England, and that's how he got himself a wife from England."

"interesting. So my danna won't be another old geezer but filthy-rich unmarried young man of a mix breed. Can't wait to meet him. "

" mix breed? " Namie raised an eyebrow in confusion.

" ah, you said it yourself didn't you? His dad is a Japanese while his mom is from England. "

"ah." Now that it clicked to Namie's mind, her face turns into an annoyed expression. She was about to go and give Izaya another lecture about manner, just to be cut by Izaya's deep and mischievous chuckle.

"…Well then, let's see. He'd better be a hot guy."

And to this statement, Namie could only sigh and ignore him.

Izaya the stray cat may has been long trained to the point that he's befitting a life of the aristocrats. Yet, deep down inside, this guy is one hell of a cunning un-tame-able cat.

* * *

That's all for the first chapter~! :D

Oh, as an additional explanation- for those who didn't get it, I've been addressing Iza as a 'cat'. But that's just a metaphor or some sort, quite the same with calling Iza 'the raven'.

In this fic he's a perfectly normal human being.

Other than that, I know Iza's background story is too short, but that's all will be explained even more in detail in the flasbacks on the up coming chapters.

**Tradition explanation :** Mizuage is a geisha's coming of age ceremony; usually held when the geisha apprentice called Maiko reach the age around 20.

Back then there's a practice where a geisha was also deflowered by her patron/danna after the Mizuage, but the practice was soon banned.

So in this fic – yes, Iza is still a virgin. * wink wink * ;)

And geishas of Gion Kobu is of the highest ranked; nowadays, they usually serve for influential political people or damn wealthy businessmen.

**Please..review? ;w;**

Might not continue if no one reads. I'm so noob at writing after all../shot


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 : meeting between polar opposites

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**Unimportant author comment: **THANK YOU so much for the reviews and faves, and alerts you put to the previous chapter~! ;w;

This is the first time that I got people actually reads my stuff and all.. I was so surprised. Thus, I decided to continue this story.

This time also, please do tell me if there are things that disappoint you from my writing. I'll try my best to fix it on later chapters somehow~

**Disclaimer : **I clearly am not Narita Ryohgo, you can tell. =w=)~

* * *

"Izaya, it seems that he has arrived. Stay here in this room, I'll welcome him and lead him here. After that, I'll leave it to you."

Namie stands up and carefully brushed off non-apparent dust as she tries to check whether her obi still stay perfect.

Shortly after, she leaves the room.

Izaya gazes at the room's ceiling. For a second there, he has to admit that he has been feeling uncertain- whether it's because he's nervous or something else.

Well, he's about to welcome a new unknown person into his life. What kind of a person he will be?

But then Izaya smirks inwardly, guess he'll know of that soon. And meeting a new person would always be interesting.

Soon, the thought was finally cast away as the door slides open.

There, standing beside Namie, a very handsome guy clad in blue and white kimono– your very typical eye-catcher; tall, well built, with unruly blond hair and mocha brown eyes.

Did Izaya expect his danna to be this..good looking? No.

Namie steps aside from the open door, signing to this new man to come in before her. And so he does.

Then they were all sitting on the cushions on the tatami floor.

Namie went on and introduce Izaya to the man, as well as explaining bit by bit about Izaya- along with adding some little white lies to make Izaya sounds even better than he already is.

During the process both men makes occasional eye contacts; suggesting that the

feeling of attraction is already there.

**[Shizuo's POV]**

My deceased father was truly into all of this geisha business; he's an art appreciator and always willing to spend his money for the continuation of the tradition.

Thus, rubbing off his influence on my younger brother, Kasuka.

Kasuka is now a well-known Kabuki actor who goes by the name 'Hanejima Yuuhei'. He had probably chosen not to display his original family name to keep rumors from spreading around.

My family is a family of a rich merchant, the sons of such wealthy family were usually trained to be focused on preparing themselves to be the successor of the family business. So the fact that Kasuka is now into Kabuki instead of the business would surely create some speculation around.

My father himself has never been bothered with it. He loves and encourage art, beside, he still has me; the oldest son of the family who would ensure the continuation of the family business.

But before he passed away, he ever mentioned to me that he wanted me to continue what he had done before; to be a patron of a geisha from the okiya in Gion Kobu.

I've never been into geishas myself, but since it's my father's will, I guess there's nothing wrong with it. Beside, I'll only have to spend some amount of money to support a geisha's life, and nothing more.

I'm never intended to do something more than that with a geisha.

And with that reasoning alone, I went and offer my patronization for a geisha of Gion Kobu.

The owner of the okiya was my father's close acquaintance, and she was very delighted to know that ''s son is into this art form' as well.

So she offered me to be a patron of this very special maiko

– named Orihara Izaya.

She told me that he's a very promising prodigy, such a talented guy that would make me proud of.

And taking the best would only befitting of me. So I agreed.

But the thing that has been bothering me is the fact that this certain geisha I would be patronizing is a guy.

When was the last time I've seen a male geisha? It must've been a long time ago, since male geishas are of rarities these days.

Somehow I'm terrified with the thought that I would have to deal with a drag queen.

No matter how talented he is, that still send shivers to my back.

And I've been expecting this meeting to be somewhat uneasy and unpleasant for me.

But then.. as soon as the door in front of me slide open; I couldn't help but stare.

There on the floor, sitting in such an elegance, a true beauty.

I almost mentally slapped myself for addressing a man as a beauty, but if you see this man yourself, you'll be just as mesmerized as I do.

He has lithe yet delicate build, clad in a black kimono with red and gold detailing. His skin is pale and his hair is as black as a raven's,

he also got a pair of endearing crimson eyes.

He radiates such an unearthly beauty; for a moment there, I thought he might not be a human.

But he's not so much of an angel either. That beauty is not one of an innocent.

The glimmers on his bloody crimson eyes, and the malicious smile on that thin lips.. could remind me nothing better than the saying of 'the ethereal beauty of death'.

Hell, this guy himself could even be the nine-tailed fox in disguise!

I no longer pay attention to the things the woman beside me is saying.

The said man has been looking at me for a while now, and being under those intense gaze..

"Well then, Heiwajima-san. Now I'll be leaving." The woman stands up and take a deep bow before she went on and leave the room; leaving me alone with this Izaya.

I proceed to look at Izaya's direction and caught a glance of the man winking at me. And I feel the heat rising to my face.

Wait…what?

I really need to slap myself now, since I've been acting like a gay. I should really remind myself that this person in front of me is in fact, a MALE.

**[End of Shizuo's POV]**

" So.. Shizuo wasn't it?" Izaya leans forward, baring his tentative smile to the man clad in blue and white kimono.

Izaya predicted this man to be good-looking yet calm and boring one, but as he watched the talking between Namie and Shizuo, he became more and more intrigued by the blond.

The occasional eye contacts between them were enough to spark interest for the raven.

" ah yes. " Shizuo wasn't really know how to start a conversation, since..Izaya is just so different with your typical geisha.

"What's with the dull comeback? I thought you were not that boring! ..well, I guess I overestimated you."

'What?' Shizuo is truly perplexed this time. Would a well-known high ranked geisha say such things?

Izaya sigh and shift a bit so that his sitting position is no longer as tense and preserved as before. His feature is much more relaxed now.

"Well now, Shizu. Please drop off all that formality. I know you're not much of a snob that's into all those things."

Izaya smirks playfully as he notice at the surprised expression on Shizuo's face.

The blond has been nothing but a calm and composed good-looking man.

Seeing him losing his composure definitely is something fun.

" heh. What do you know about me, anyway" this time, Shizuo came up with a challenging comeback. Talking to this man might be annoying, but it's something entirely new to him.

The raven was more than pleased to hear the half annoyed comeback. Oh, annoying people has always been so fun for Izaya.

He chuckles lightly, and for a moment; the dangerous aura around him fades into something similar to a kid's joy.

"just enough background information and the fact that you're filthy-rich enough to spoil me with your money. How's that, Shizu-chan?"

" oi, what's with the creepy nickname, flea?"

almost instantly, Shizuo's new nickname ticked his nerve. But Shizuo knows better to keep his rage from the surface. At least, for now.

The raven raise his eyebrow in amusement.

'oh..this could certainly be fun. So now you're calling me flea huh?'

Izaya's body shook slightly. For a moment, Shizuo almost thought that the man is crying, but then..

"ahahaha ! what's creepy? It's cute, Shizu-chan~! "

Shizuo's clench on his kiseru tightens; signaling that he's using almost all of his willpower to hold back his rage.

And this gesture didn't get unnoticed by the raven.

" hm? You'll broke the beautiful kiseru if you keep on doing that, Shizu."

The topic change seemingly gets Shizuo's mind distracted from his rage;

" not that I care. I had broken a lot more before this."

The blond raise the gold-adorned black kiseru within his fingers.

"what a waste. This one looks truly beautiful though."

The red eyes gleams in what seemed to be enthusiasm. The detailing on the lean kiseru sure looks astounding, and to have such an art connoisseur like geisha to praise it would really mean something.

"..come to think of it… Somehow I think this thing resembles you."

Said Shizuo as he absent-mindedly gaze at his kiseru.

" yes. Beautiful. Because that's what I am."

Smug grin spreads on Izaya's face. And Shizuo couldn't help but snort at the overly self-confident statement.

" not in that way. It looks so lean, just like you. Not to mention the color and the decorating of it matches your kimono, and, most importantly; it induce flame."

'..in a mean that you're such a war provocateur here.'

Continued Shizuo in his mind.

" and that, I'll take them as a compliment. You just admitted that I look hot, right? Flaming~"

said the raven as he dramatically flip his hair.

Oh my. If only the walls are close enough to him, Shizuo would've banged his head on it.

Who's in their right mind would expect a geisha –of all people- to be like _this_?

Surely, this first meeting with Izaya, could lead to much more than anything Shizuo had expected.

* * *

**OMG that's it chapter 2~**

I had been laughing after that line of 'stop and stare' I wrote. Lol. xDD

Right after I typed that, the song suddenly plays on my head; "stop and staaare~"

But when I think about the lyrics in detail..I guess the song will have a little something to do with the story in one way or another. :3

And the other lol is that Iza's wink. I've been gotten intoxicated with his wink because of too much watching his fukkireta videos. 8D /shott

**Tradition explanation : **I know that in Kabuki, some female roles are played by male. In entertainment business, male dressing as female is not a weird thing in Japan.

But the reason of Shizuo's uneasiness at it is that he got more influence from his western mother rather than his Japan-loving father.

Contrary to Kasuka. And the story will explain this better later~ :D

Other thing is that; if you don't know what a 'kiseru' is, google is your best friend. :p

* * *

I'll try to reply to all reviews you lovely people had sent to me for the previous chapter. This time also, please do take care of me and this chapter!

**Reviews will ensure the continuation of this thingy~ *w***


	3. Chapter 3

**Unimportant author note : **the next chapters are all written neatly on my comp; and I admit that this chapter would be sort of short and lame. But the next ones

would be much better, I promise! :D *might submit more than one chappie today*

Also; a _note for OriharaKururi_ : I haven't manage to find a beta yet for this story. So I hope..in the mean time, you can bear with it. D:

_note for crazyoverbishie_ : I had looked up for the term you suggest me. Apparently; 'Kagema' means a male prostitute, and geishas are certainly not prostitutes..so yeah,

can't use that term for this fic. :3

_note for DaniMark_ : I had accepted your request to make Shizu throw things this time, but apparently, the setting doesn't quiet fit. so maybe you'll have to wait for

later chapters for that. sorry! x3;

**Disclaimer :** my lame writing skill has proven enough fact that I'm not Narita Ryohgo. xD

* * *

**Chapter 3 : The friend**

A peaceful afternoon in the Heiwajima estate.

There on one of the open terrace, two men are sitting; facing each other on the wooden floor. In between of the two; a wooden shogi board.

The dark brown haired man looks up from the wooden board to stare carefully at his opponent's face and grin.

"heh. What is it, Shizuo? You look pissed."

"Something about that geisha is not right, Tom."

Shizuo sigh as he put another knight piece on the shogi board.

His face shows no significant expression; none of his usual grin, nor anger.

But being a good friend as he is; the fact that Shizuo is not in a good mood didn't get unnoticed by Tom.

"ahaha you get bored talking to her or what?"

asked Tom curiously, with a hint of some amusement. Apparently, this geisha must really be something; since she had managed to anger Shizuo upon their first meeting.

" correction. It wasn't 'her'. It was 'him'."

" oh. How unexpected. So what he did to piss you off?"

Tom chuckles lightly at Shizuo's reply.

"Apparently, he's an ass who's so full of himself. And, worst thing, he gave me a horrid nickname."

Shizuo could almost pout at that time; but seeing as this act would be so unfitting of him, he merely looks away.

" It's so rare to see the Heiwajima Shizuo sulk like this. I really want to meet the guy! And even to give you nickname? What an exceptional person.."

Hearing Tom taking his complains so lightly, and even to praise the damn raven,

Shizuo darted his glare back at Tom " you-!"

" If this is your original chess game; this is smothered mate."

Announce Tom proudly and calmly.

This brings back Shizuo's attention to the game board, and indeed, another victory for Tom.

" ah, this sucks. Shogi is so different with the chess I used to play."

" as expected to come from you, Shizuo. How long has it been since you came back here to Japan anyway..?"

Tom follows Shizuo's gaze towards the beautiful traditional garden that lies before them.

"feels so nostalgic when you mention it like that." Replies the blond shortly with a smile.

* * *

**[Shizuo's POV]**

I was born in Japan; my father's country of origin. But as I grew up, I was taken to England to pursue for my study. And yes, I begin my study early due to my parents' will.

I wasn't the brightest of a kid, but at least I've made it pretty well with the study.

I lived in England until I was around 15 years of age.

At that age, my father asked me to come back and continue the rest of my study in Japan.

After all, he wants me to be the successor of the family business; thus I will need to learn things about the Japanese.

Listening to all these, do you think I only live my life based on how my parents want it to be? Half of it might be true, but I have my own reasoning too;

It's because I had always wanted to live together with my younger brother, Kasuka.

We had lived our childhood separately up until now.

So I went back.

And soon, I became a good friend of Tanaka Tom; who's the son of my father's acquaintance.

He's far older than me, but he's mature enough to be a good friend; to teach me things about the Japanese that I hadn't known before.

I had lived my childhood in England anyway.

**[End of Shizuo's POV]**

* * *

" well then, Shizuo. You should bring him here sometimes, I'd like to see this exceptional person myself."

Said Tom; bringing Shizuo back from his reverie.

"..maybe 3 weeks later? I heard Shinra and his girlfriend will be coming back to Japan. At that time, I think we'll be having dinner together. You should bring him along."

Shizuo sigh and ruffle his blond locks in defeat.

" man~ he'll annoy the hell outta you, I swear."

The friend simply chuckles and stands up ; brushing the non-apparent dust from his brown hakama.

" seems like this Izaya will bring us some new wind. I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

No tradition explanation for this chappie as this one got almost nothing important in it. xD

But this is just.. some kind of a filler so that the story won't progress all too quickly. Some later chapters will have more things to them.

Andd.. I hope I don't sound annoying when I'm asking for **Reviews? ;w;**

Thank you for following this story anyway, please do take care of me, Shizu, and Iza too this time~!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N :** I'm terribly sorry for my long absence, I was actually thinking of discontinuing my fics since I'm getting busier in life and my old laptop  
in which I typed this story had kind of broken down, I changed into a new one, but all the stories can't be recovered. = v =;  
After all this time, reading back to this fic again make me feel as if I'm reading someone else's story.  
So..yeah, sorry that I have been such an awful author! but I'm trying to revive this fic again, no worries. ; v ; Thanks so much for all the reviews!

* * *

**[Chapter 4] : people say, when you are close enough to fight, then you're already close with each other!**

It's been few days since the first meeting of the raven and the blond,and they had been nothing more than a pair of healthy cat and dog;  
meaning, there's almost no improvement in their relationship from the first meeting.

But one thing changed; the tension has somewhat faded gradually, so even though they looks like always ready to kill each other,  
all of their fights just seems to be pointless arguments between close friends.  
…In a more deranged way than it sounds.  
Because no 'close friends' would actually try to strangle each other or possibly hiding a tanto  
within his kimono to stab the other when there's an opening.

Point taken, Shizuo is not one to hold himself back anymore, and Izaya has shown his true nature as such a daredevil.

So today as well, is a scheduled visit to the okiya, and Shizuo doesn't seem to be completely happy about it.

'..so the prepared day of the flea's Mizuage is coming closer. And so far, I've learned of the things I'm supposed to do on that day. After that ceremonial event's done..I basically have nothing more to do.' Said Shizuo to himself; as if reminding himself that his role to be a patron of this annoying guy would end in a few days from now.  
But not that the blond knows what to do after that event. Would he continue to visit Izaya once in a while or would he completely cut the ties between him and the geisha?

Shizuo finally snapped back from his idle thought when the horse carriage stops in front of the huge old and yet well-kept traditional Japanese house – the okiya he had frequent these past few days.

* * *

He was soon 'trapped' inside the room again with the annoying flea he had been trying to put up with.

" ne, I heard that you've been living in England up until now?"  
The raven starts up a conversation, since if he doesn't, he knows very well that Shizuo isn't going to be the one to speak first. Well, it does seem that the blond considers that talking with Izaya will only eventually get on his nerve.  
But for Izaya, spending time in silence will be too boring it can kill him, and Shizuo's too interesting to have time spent with him without any conversation going.

"It was only until I was 15."  
Replies the blond nonchalantly as he blows into the air a puff of smoke he inhaled from the kiseru he always have with him.

"what made you came back here? I thought living in foreign land is so much better than here? At least there aren't any suffocating tradition, are there?"  
the young one is always seem to be curious, and sometimes, chatting with him could feel as if he's trying to get some information out of you, especially if you're not fond of him.

"my dad asked me to."  
Shizuo wave the wooden kiseru lightly in the air on Izaya's direction, as if trying to dismiss him out of this conversation.

"meh. I hardly believe in that. Don't you actually use your dad as a justification for your brother complex?"

"wha..?"  
blue eyes are widened for a moment, bewildered at the unexpected statement which seem to strike the bull in the eye.

The reaction has, however, been predicted and expected by the mischievous raven. "connection and information, Shizu-chan, I got them."  
he said, all the while plastering his well-known smug smirk on his face.

Shizuo shift his eyes slightly as if trying to examine the sly smirking one both in curiosity and suspicion. "How much do you know? I don't remember telling the okiya anything about this."  
The blond couldn't help but wonder if his father had actually spoken about his family to these people, but he doubt it as his father isn't the type to talk much about his personal life to other outside of the family and his close friends.

"well, there are lots of guests and clients related and affiliated with this okiya, and your society are closely connected, so it wasn't hard for me to know that  
the kabuki actor Hanejima Yuuhei is your brother." Thin smile forms into a wider smirk fitting of an evil mastermind of some sort.

But upon seeing Shizuo's change in expression into something more serious and unreadable, Izaya finally decides to gave up on his so called 'evil mode' and sigh,  
waving a hand lightly.  
"no worries, the information I usually get isn't something that your usual people can get their hands on. You could say I sneak well into things."  
The crimson orb glances at the blond as he regains his somewhat relaxed expression.

"just like a flea."  
scoffed Shizuo casually. Though actually it still bother him a bit on how Izaya get those information about Kasuka, even when his real identity as his younger brother is concealed.  
Then again, aren't geisha suppose to be limited in their knowledge of the outside society?

"eeh? Shizu-chan is a meanie!"  
the younger male pout childishly.

Apparently Shizuo really need to be patient at handling this brat, huh? But patient is not really his thing, unfortunately. So he sigh in a constrained manner.  
"…flea. For one last time, I'm going to tell you to stop calling me with the horrid nickname. And no, I'm not mean, you're just plain annoying."

"psh. I gave you such an adorable nickname even though your attitude is far from anything cute, and this is the thanks that I got?"

"…drop it."

"I never knew Hanejima Yuuhei who's ever so calm and emotionless outside the stage got a brother with this bad of a temper. You're such a bore, shizu!"

_Snap._  
The kiseru is finally broken into half.

Izaya laugh like mad. It was totally worth it to tease this blond because his reactions are just amusing and priceless at times.  
Namie can be such a bore when teased, but this simple minded blond is so much fun. It's only been few days that they met and Izaya had already gotten a hold of  
his pet peeve all to well. And that be the nickname of 'shizu-chan' itself and...anything related to his younger brother.

Izaya tries his best to regain his composure after letting out his typical 'annoying laughter'.  
And the moment he manage to calm himself down, his expression changes drastically. It's the same sultry gaze and mischievous smile.  
Slowly Izaya slides himself so that he can reach closer towards the man sitting in front of him. And now, he's so dangerously close to Shizuo. To the point that they're considered close enough to kiss.

Both are soon engaged in a little staring contest; mocha brown meets bloody red.  
It wasn't at all a lovey dovey stare.  
After some ticking seconds passed, Izaya leans himself over and blow a whisper on the other man's ear;

"shi . zu . chan~"

And with an enraged war cry the two are soon engaged into..a fight.

Yeah, literally and physically.

* * *

Namie, who's currently enjoying her tea while sitting on the tatami of a room nearby can clearly hear all the ruckus, yet could made no attempt to barge in and stop the two since she was told to refrain herself from doing so by the old woman sitting across the table of her;

A dignified looking old-woman, with greying silky black hair who looks just like the spitting image of Namie if she were many years younger .  
She chuckles lightly at the commotion. "now, now..Namie. seems like our guest is already compatible with that Izaya, huh? Isn't it a good thing?"

"but mother.." and as soon as Namie began to speak out her complain, she got stopped by the older one.

"Let them be, it's not everyday that we get to have and allow something like this to happen." She calmly sips her tea, ignoring the bothered looking Namie and the fuss caused by the two young men in the other room.

* * *

**Closing A/N of the chapter:**

okay. this sounds pretty lame. ..mayhaps it's because I've just tried to revive this fic out of the blue in the middle of working on my college project.  
ohwell, I promise that I'll try better for the next chapters!  
Thank you so much for taking care of me and the fic all this time!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** ...And here comes another super terribly delayed chapter delivered by yours truly. |D; I guess I just can't apologize enough for the way I'm handling this story. There had been too many things IRL that've been keeping me more than occupied. But that aside, I really hope there would still be some of you who still have faith in this story and me. :"c ..though I'm not really sure either I deserve it.

Welp, that said, here goes the 5th chapter!

* * *

**[Chapter 5] : A turn of event. **

The carriage taking the young master of the Heiwajima family has finally reach its destination in front of an okiya gate in the area of Gion Kobu. By now, it's been a routine for the blond to be visiting the okiya every once a week as a customary.

Albeit finding it to be annoying, it's surprising how Shizuo has been complaining less and less about coming over to visit a certain someone. They will always ended up in a fight whenever they meet, but it feels so natural that it seems that they don't even mind to meet and fight just for the sake of fighting each other. The kind of peculiar relationship that none will be able to comprehend other than the two involved themselves.

Today, Shizuo arrived quite later than he usually does due to a business that was dragging on since this morning. Not that he's going to be here for long anyway, since the awaited Mizuage for the raven haired maiko is coming as soon as tomorrow.

Probably it was the uncertain future of what will become of the two of them after the said ceremony, but today, neither of them are seemingly to be in the mood of talking much. Izaya would love to annoy Shizuo in every chance available, but even the raven himself looks rather out of it. Most probably, the preparations and ceremonial training for the important day has been pretty exhausting for him that he's in no mood for some ruckus. God knows when did Izaya finally were allowed to get his sleep last night.

For some time now, the maiko has been staring idly at one green tea stalk that's floating vertically upright in his tea that has probably lost its warmth by now. While the blond male has been quietly smoking while looking at no direction in particular. The silence is indeed pretty rare to take place between them.

"What was it again that they say about a floating tea stalk?" commented Shizuo when he took a glimpse of the raven's tea bowl.

"...the superstition is that you'll bound to get lucky. But I believe the luck is Shizu chan's this time. Because I don't feel like bothering you for today. You're very welcome." replied the Izaya sluggishly.

The blond chuckled low. "I guess it is more refreshing to see you quiet down for once."

"You'll also be relieved of your duty to be visiting me after tomorrow. Talk about luck." continued Izaya. He himself doesn't really understand why he decided to said that. He do thinks Shizuo is fun to mess with, but it's not that he likes that guy in particular. He doesn't even like anyone, so he could care less of whatever is going to happen with their relationship after the ceremony. If there even any relationship between them to begin with.

The sun is slowly setting down, and it's almost time for Shizuo to leave. Just a little less than an hour since he entered this room.

"Alright then, you better not mess up tomorrow's ceremony." The blond proceed to stand up and crack his neck slightly.

"Shizu-chan is the stupid one here in this matter so that should be my line." the raven stick his tongue out as he fumbles with his intricate hair ornament. If he's going to be walking out of the room and meet up with Namie or another senpai, he'd better look neat or the scolding would be severe. Not that he cares much about that stuff when he's in a room alone with Shizuo. Although by the etiquette, it's the other way around- he should look the best when around a guest.

Just when the maiko is proceeding to stand up, he tripped and loses his balance. It might be fun to watch Izaya fell over, but by reflect, Shizuo react just as fast to try preventing the other male to fall on the tatami covered floor.

"oi, flea—"

Just right when one of the blond's hand were to grab the hem of Izaya's kimono sleeve, he missed it, and ended up pulling the back of his obi. Being an essential part which keeps a kimono into place, when the obi's pulled loose, the black kimono ended up sliding off the raven's shoulders.

The sight before Shizuo is not something he had ever thought he would see.

Scars. Painful looking scars marring the smooth and pale skin underneath the layered kimono. Some are in the process of healing, and the other seemed new.

"what the…"

As soon as Izaya realized that he had just showed something he had never wanted to show to outsiders, he quickly pull up his kimono and rustles to fix it by himself without even saying anything.

"oi, flea, just what are those.." Shizuo didn't even get the chance to continue his words when Izaya exhale loudly and exasperatedly,

"Quit it." The raven rustles to get up without looking back at Shizuo.

"…it's nothing of your business." Then he walk away to exit the room while sparing a single glance towards Shizuo before he slide close the door.

That was the first time Shizuo had ever heard Izaya raise his voice and being seriously upset about something. Definitely something he had never expect to come from the other male to be showing that much of strong emotion. Not that Izaya has been coming off as fake, but he's more likely to be the one who's messing around with people instead of himself being the one getting honestly agitated.

Therefore today, he had seen just another two things of Izaya that he had never seen before- the scars, and.. most importantly, those a hint of something behind his charming, flaming crimson pair of eyes.

There was nothing like the usual playfulness, there were anger, regret…and albeit almost unapparent, sadness.

Shizuo could've misjudged the look in Izaya's eyes, but one thing for sure; the raven has way too many things to hide; and that, includes his own feelings and most probably sufferings.

Izaya has always acted like a laidback and carefree child, ignorant towards the world before him, laughing like he had always been having fun; even when misfortune befall upon others.

And yet.. those are probably just a mask. To conceal his hatred against the world? Maybe, but it's no place for Shizuo to know or take a guess.

Above all things, this thing just had to happen a day before Izaya's mizuage.

* * *

As Shizuo were about to make his exit from the okiya, he caught a sight of the poise young woman within the traditional Japanese garden, standing just beside the shallow pond.

'Yagiri Namie.'

The blond raise a hand to give a sign the carriage in front of the okiya to wait for him a bit more, then quietly walks over to the garden, carefully approaching the woman.

"Yagiri-san, may I have some time to talk?"

The young man isn't really sure either of whatever he's going to talk about, but the thing he saw earlier has been bothering him quite a lot. Not that he care about that flea, though.

..Or so he thought.

"so what is it, Heiwajima-san? Oh and before that, I'd humbly apologize for that kid's mannerism. He's kind of.. incorrigible. Please do tell us whenever you'd prefer to see another maiko."

Namie smiles casually as she talk, though it is now kind of apparent that the woman might not really like Izaya despite how close they looked.

"ah no, that's alright." He ruffles the blond lock as he tries to find some word or chance to talk about the matter of Izaya's scars. Though soon, he finally decides that he's never one to have some pointless chit chat.

If he want to talk about something, he'd better get to the point straight away.

"actually..I had seen those scars on his back. Would you care to explain me something about this?"

The woman looks a bit perplexed for a brief moment, but she regains her composure in no time as she bring a sleeve to cover her mouth and chuckles lightly. Talk about an excellent manner of being a Japanese woman.

"oh, I thought you two haven't gone that far? 'guess I was wrong." The woman playfully teases.

Shizuo could indeed be dense at times, but he knows that the other is currently trying to stray off from the topic; which only led the blond into further suspicion.

Warm mocha eyes are getting colder, and this doesn't go unnoticed by Namie.

She chuckles drily and her expression gradually turning stern. Namie bents slightly to pick up a pebble which was laying near her feet, and throwing the little piece into the pond, watching it as it slowly sinks into the darkness that is the bottom of the pond.

The shallow pond's bottom is no longer within vision since the sun has pretty much set in the distance, and the whole garden has turned pretty dark, with the sky above them turning into a shade of brilliant orange and dark purple.

Namie, still having her eyes fixed on the pond in front of her instead of Shizuo began to speak.

"…you know that a rough diamond worth nothing as much as a well-cut and polished diamond, don't you?" A thin smile latched on her lips, but her words definitely feel cold and sharp- almost unfeeling.

She turns to look at the young Heiwajima in the eyes.

" That kid was a trash. He was a true eyesore.. such filthy kid from unclear upbringing should've actually end up in some low class brothel. Definitely not a high ranked okiya. "

Shizuo finds it hard to believe that the woman in front of him right now is that same Yagiri Namie who's always so gentle and polite with her wordings, and looked like the type who wouldn't even hurt a fly.

After a brief moment, a voice breaks the unfriendly silence between the two.

" Namie-sama, the lady asked for your presence!"

Heard a call from a distance, which came from a brown-haired girl in a pink yukata from the other end of the garden.

"I'll be there in a bit, tell mother to wait, Mika!" replies Namie, half raising her voice to make sure that the girl can hear her.

The girl shortly nodded and left.

Upon making sure that the girl has already gone far enough, Namie politely bows at Shizuo and casually walks past him.

"..It's only proper that we discipline him well, don't you agree?" she said; now with her usual tone, without even looking back at the blond and continue to walk away.

* * *

**Closing A/N of the chapter:  
**After the disaster of losing almost every data stored in my laptop, I had managed to find pieces of the continuation of this story. And now I've finally found enough pieces to edit, complete, and post as the 5th chapter.

Anyhow, I don't know if this chapter turns to be worth the wait, but I just wish that you could somehow enjoy it (or probably bear with it, if you think it's awful. orz) . I'm truly am grateful to whoever still following this story! ; u ; Ilu all.

(note: I know Izaya is nimble on his feet, but considering that he's been through spartan trainings and is actually exhausted, not to mention that a kimono doesn't exactly allow for much free movement, I guess him tripping over is kind of possible. u )


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **I'm.. not sure how this turns out, but I've been re-reading Drrr! light novel again, immersing myself back into the fandom to get back my grip on their character. I hope I'm doing alright with me suddenly trying to revive this story. :x

* * *

**[Chapter 6] : The night before the big day. **

Night is creeping up slowly, with the stars taking on their positions high up in the sky and the choir of insects can be heard. After all, tomorrow would be the first day of summer.

Inside of a lantern-lit room, two figures are seen to be talking to each other.

"…He didn't mention a word of it, so I guess we'll go through this the normal way. Although he is already willing to throw in quite a generous amount for you so there's actually no worries." Said the woman in a low voice as if to be discreet.

"Heh. What did you expect, Namie-nee san? For that blond brute to be sexually attracted to me?" The raven smirked with a raised eyebrow, challenging the other for a reply.

Izaya is referring to the topic they have not been vocally discussing even among themselves, but are completely aware of – the practice of 'selling' a maiko's virginity to their patron upon the Mizuage; as an addition to the coming of age ceremonial rituals.

At this time, there really isn't a clear rule that state of such practice as a taboo, neither one that states of it as a customary. Supposed the practice is rising the amount of financial support given. But then again, for a high quality maiko like Izaya and a rich patron like the Heiwajima family, it's already predicted that he'll fetch a high price even without selling out his body, as crude as that may sound.

Namie shrug nonchalantly, "Well, I'm just saying it just in case, you know? You would never know a danna's preference just by looking or even talking to him."

The woman gently folds rolls of fabrics that's been scattering around the tatami floor. They've just done with some last checks and fittings on the kimono Izaya is going to wear for tomorrow's ceremony. A set of mizuage kimono is certainly much more expensive and elaborated than the usual kimono a maiko has to wear on daily basis. The funding of the clothing for the ceremony were also donated by the maiko's respective patron.

It is exactly a very beautiful work of art - black, red and prominent gold detailing. Luxurious, and exactly the way Izaya like it- dark colored. Some other girls had protested on how he should just choose bright colored ones since Izaya's color choices had always been somewhat gloomy, but the raven insisted. No further argument were brought up since everyone could actually agree that dark color accentuates Izaya's pale skin and unearthly beauty the most.

Then again, those were his favorite color combination, almost the similar color combination to the kimono he wore upon his first meeting with Shizuo. Although that one was a lot more modest and simple with mostly black as the dominant color.

Speaking of the attire, there were also some arguments about the fact that there were blossoming higanbana motifs on the kimono- as higanbana or red spider lilies, as beautiful as the flower might be, is often associated to ominous things such as death and separation.

"Isn't it even more beautiful that way" was the rhetorical question uttered from the raven's mouth. A rare fascination towards eerie or rather disturbing subject has always been his antic.

If only Izaya isn't an exceptional talent, the okiya wouldn't let him slide with all that devious attitudes.

Although this time, it's also partially thanks to the fact that Shizuo - as Izaya's patron is part gaijin; so he's not an overly conservative type who fusses much about traditional details. If it were some strict Japanese elder, Izaya would most probably not a maiko of their choice.

"Anyway, I'm just glad I'm going to drop this honorific I'm calling you with soon." The raven lean his back by the wall and wave his hand lightly in the air as if swatting an invisibly fly.

"And so do I. You being a full fledge geisha would certainly benefit me. Just.." Namie came to a halt as she neatly stack some rolls together, and spare a glance directly at the maiko's strong crimson orbs.

"..don't you dare disappoint me."

Izaya clicked his tongue in reply. "Like I would."

Namie picks up the roll of clothes and proceed to store them into a wooden cabinet. "You may leave to your own room now."

Izaya got up and bring himself out of the room, although before he manage to slide the door thoroughly closed, he could see Namie looking right at him with a smile and a raised brow.

"Ah, honestly, I'm pretty surprised that Heiwajima Shizuo-sama turns out to be such an interesting person."

The maiko chuckle half-heartedly at his mentor's comment as he slide close the door, bring himself through the corridors, into his own room. For now, getting a rest would be something he really need.

In his own room, he pause for a second; thinking back at the idle comment Namie had thrown at him right before he left the fitting room. He smirk weakly at himself.

'Yeah, you're giving me a hard time, if it were just a normal man, it would be easier for me to handle. …but, it would probably be so boring I wouldn't possibly enjoy myself.' He mentally talked.

Izaya is captivating, cunning, and manipulative. With those kinds of quality, if it were any normal man..well, the poor man might even be lured into splurging every bits of cash he's got and ended up as a slave to Izaya's every whims and requests. This boy is pretty much a dangerous type to say at the least.

Even the rumor around the area has it; there's a figure who's actually been circulating information within the frequent guests of Gion; who're mostly among the socialite circle, the yakuza, the authorities, even those with powerful political influences. The certain figure holds an access to secrets, scandals and everything else everyone would ever want to know about the powerful and the rich.

Nobody knows who it actually is, the figure identity has never reach daylight, and yet, he always seem to be present- since the rumor had never died down.

It could be anyone, from a shady street vendor, a sushi shop itamae, an okiya's okaasan, an oiran, or simply a random frequent visitor of the area. For one thing, Namie is well aware of the rumored figure because that would be none other than the maiko she's been mentoring. Not that she's interested to dwell much into Izaya's risky affair.

But fate seems to have its own sense of humor; it recently came up with a possible match for the raven, and in the process, managed to save the life of whichever poor man who could get his life toyed around by Izaya for being his patron.

Shizuo is not a slimy shady person, in fact, he's as easy to read as an open book. Pretty much a good opposite of Izaya; the type he'd normally hate the most. Though for some unknown reason – At least to Izaya himself- he finds Shizuo to be interesting. Perhaps because such blatant honesty that Shizuo possess is also a rare quality of human? Whenever enraged, Shizuo won't even hesitate to go berserk. Therefore, rather than considering him as an interesting human, Izaya would rather regard him as an exotic beast. And his interest is mostly based on curiosity. It's fun to annoy him, it's always fun to see people's reaction towards his actions, and, for sure, despite the fact that he might hate to admit it, Shizuo brings in with him a fresh air for Izaya within the suffocating life being a geisha apprentice. The encounter enables him to let loose and be as crude or as sinister as he'd love to be. In front of Shizuo, self-control can just fly out of the window- due to the fact that the blond is also lacking of it.

Just like a child, it's fun when you have someone to equally play fight with, right?

In fact, Namie's mother had mentioned a thing about the two being two sides of the same coin. Albeit being a polar opposite of each other, both are just equally 'unique' people that somehow are just meant to flock together- no matter how destructive the combo would be. Because well, they only have each other to match their own antics, right? In this society, there aren't much of those kinds of people.

Speaking of which, Izaya himself still couldn't comprehend the reason of his emotion outburst this evening when Shizuo discovered the scars on his back. Even Izaya himself had never considered those to be that big of a deal. Izaya is not that weak. So why doesn't he want Shizuo to see, to know? Why did he react that way Shizuo? Why that brute of all people?

It's an unsettling feeling for him, it's unfamiliar and he hates it. But he would rather let the subject pass for now. After all, he's got an important thing to keep in mind tomorrow.

He extinguish the light out of an oil lamp and let the serene darkness welcomes him as he lie on the futon, with his consciousness slowly fading away into an exhaustion-induced dream less slumber.

* * *

The big grandfather clock within the Heiwajima mansion shows that the current time is several minutes past midnight.

"young master Shizuo, I'm so sorry to interrupt, but isn't it time for you to go to bed?" an old butler peered reluctantly inside a working room. There Shizuo seated on a zabuton behind a table ; sorting some papers, occasionally scribbling some numbers on it.

His eyes show a clear sign of fatigue, but the blond himself seem to be still determined to continue with his paperwork. With his father gone, he's the eldest son of the family, so the family business is all his. Although the family had hired men to be assigned to specific works, several financial matters has to be dealt directly by Shizuo himself.

"should I bring you some tea and snack?" ask the concerned butler. He's been serving the Heiwajima for at least more than half his life, and sometimes, he's just as concerned towards the young master as he would to his own son.

"ah yes, black tea with some milk would be okay. Thanks Tanaka-san" replied the blond without parting his look from the pile of papers.

The old butler- namely Tanaka-san, lightly bow and leave to get the young master his late night snack.

The household usually serves traditional Japanese beverages and cuisine, especially to guests; but since Shizuo had came back from England, and due to the fact that it's easy for them to get hands on foreign commodities through the nature of their family's merchant business, there are just many kinds of stuffs within the household's kitchen. Let's just say from English tea to Indian herbs, from some fresh water eel to truffle.

It would be more common to have the likes of a strong coffee to accompany a round of all-nighter, but Tanaka knows best that as far as food is concerned, the young master's taste bud is more or less similar to a kid's. So the old man also got a couple of strawberry daifuku prepared to go with the milk tea.

Back in the working room, the blond sigh and throw his head back.

It's not that these works are in dire need of immediate attention. It's just that… it's strangely hard to sleep tonight. Surely that tomorrow is a big day, considering the flea's Mizuage, but that's not all that's been on his mind.

Just several weeks ago, the man named Izaya were no one to him. Just another one of those prettily clad art performers residing within the heart of Gion area. They had spend their days together with nothing but bickering and speaking of some random issues, but what has been formed between them during those times?

The crystalline blue eyes fluttered close. He's pretty sure there's nothing going on between them, never did they talk anything too private nor anything sentimental. It is annoying to spend every second with the other man, but somehow, it feels strangely comforting- almost too natural that it confuses Shizuo off his own wit. Is it even possible to feel comfortable with someone who's so devious as Izaya? Not to mention that they aren't actually any long time acquaintances. This whole thing is just profession-related matter, Izaya just hate having Shizuo accidentally stumbling himself upon Izaya's private matter..isn't it?

So why does it bother the blond? Why does he even care in the first place?

If he want to, tomorrow could be as well be the last time he'd ever have to associate himself with the raven. It will be done once the whole ceremony is over. Shizuo won't have any obligation to visit him anymore, after all, by then Shizuo would already finished his duty of contributing towards what his father held dearly while he was alive. That's all the reason he started this whole thing with the geisha world.

But now, there's a part of him that is reluctant to part with this man named Izaya.

Shizuo might as well question his sanity for thinking of that, but it's probably just an exhaustion-induced wonderings right? After all, he's had a pretty tiring day today.

He stretch a bit and lie down on the floor, staring idly at the room's ceiling.

Several minutes passed and the butler peered once again into the room to bring his tea and snack, yet greeted with the sight of the young master already laying and sleeping soundly on top of the tatami-covered floor by the table.

He couldn't help but sigh lightly with a caring smile on his gentle, wrinkled face.

It's just like the old time etched in his memory when young master Shizuo would just collapse and fall asleep somewhere with his brother; young master Kasuka, after a day of playing outside under the summer sun.

.

* * *

.

**Closing A/N of the chapter:**In case there are some Japanese words that you find unfamiliar, please feel free to consult google or ask me about it anytime. The reason why I claim this fanfic to be an AU and semi-historical is because Japanese history and culture isn't really my forte. haha ; u ;

So there are bound to be mistakes here and there, and this fic would have no way to accurately portray any event that might've happened in the past regarding cultural Japan.

The next chapter would be the mizuage, I've done quite some research through books and the internet, and yet I still couldn't seem to find the complete ceremonial things that they're doing within the mizuage itself. There are some misleading information, and mostly are only of the deflowering practice of a Maiko which is done around the pontocho area. While this fic takes place at Gion. There bound to be difference, and the authenticity of the Mizuage ceremony rituals reported and posted on the internet has been a topic of debate.

Then again, in regard to Mizuage, they somehow treat it in discreet, especially the deflowering practice. There's no rule that says it's a must, and at the time of this fic, there hasn't been any ban on the practice. So they aren't even vocal about the matter, but it just happens. But don't get mistaken, the ceremonial event of Mizuage and the deflowering practice are two different things. I've been looking into the ceremonial event alone, but it's kind of hard for me to know about the details.

Soo..I might just cut things short because other than the change of a maiko's hairstyle, I'm not so sure of anything else. Rest assured, this story will just progress without any problem. Just the ceremony itself might not be described in detail at all. c:

Eitherway, I reaally hope you like it! xx


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I just can't thank you guys enough for all the reviews, faves and followings you've given this story. You keep me alivee! ; u ; seriously, I love you. I have less faith in myself than I do in your words. Chapter 7 won't exists if it's not for your kind responds to this story so far. So..here it is! I really hope I'm not disappointing you with this one. c:

ALSO. I just realized the mistake I made in the previous chapter. This is so embarrassing, because I like to picture in my mind that this historical Japanese Shizuo is suppose to look more or less like Tsugaru in appearance; I got them mixed up and referred to Shizu's eye color as blue (like Tsugaru's in some fanarts), I didn't realize that since the beginning of the fic I had preserved Shizuo's natural eye color (mocha brown). So now I'm gonna go back to how I originally address the eye color; as brown. sorry for the confusion it might've caused. orz

**[Chapter 7] : The mizuage. **

* * *

.

The sun had risen above the horizon, and the time is probably around seven thirty in the morning.

Shizuo had just rolled out of bed, but by this time, Izaya is most likely awake for hours now. As do any formal events, the 'women' always got to wake up earlier for preparations and everything. Even Izaya's dressing will take quite some time. A formal geisha kimono is very complicated; knots and folds, also layers after layers.

A male's kimono, on the contrary, is a lot simpler. Instead of his usual kimono though, today Shizuo will be wearing a combination of plain black silk kimono and hakama set meant for formal events like traditional Japanese wedding ceremony, and well, this time, a Mizuage. This would be the second time that he got to wear a highly formal traditional attire - the first one being on his father's funeral. Not a pleasant experience, but as the family head successor, all he got to do was to move on.

Shizuo has long gotten to the point where he's able to put on his daily kimono and slightly more formal one without any assistance, but since he needs to look neat and extra proper today, he had called the head butler over to his room to help him out.

He ran a hand through his blond locks as he stared into a mirror. His reflection in the mirror doesn't show any sign of lack of sleep, which is good. He remembered being woken up by the old butler while he had fallen asleep in the work room, but he spent the rest of the night sleeping just fine in his own room.

.

Back in the okiya, it's no different, some people are still busy helping Izaya getting ready, while the others are preparing for the ceremonial event.

Usually, every geisha or senior maiko can have one junior maiko to help her around with anything she needs; taking a role more or less somewhere between a lady-in-waiting and a servant. Izaya though, never like having anyone tailing him wherever he goes. The raven likes being independent, and having someone too close to him all the time is just suffocating. The only person he let around him would be his own mentor; Namie. Even so, it's not like they stick together all the time.

Though this time would be an exception. Getting dressed and accessorized for Mizuage is quite a rigorous process to be done alone. He still made sure to be already in his own nagajuban (a kimono-shaped robe worn as an undergarment) before having Namie and two other junior maiko to help out with his dressing. It's not that he's a particularly shy person, in fact, Namie thinks the guy's private common courtesy has actually died down a long time ago. It's all just to cover up his scars because explaining things to people is a hassle, and he hates grabbing unwanted attentions, not to mention pity.

By now, it's only a bit more until they're done with arranging the hair ornaments on Izaya's hair.

"you really aren't a bit nervous about this, are you?" ask Namie with raised eyebrows. Well, Izaya is hardly nervous for anything, but Mizuage is supposed to be a pretty big event for him, and yet the raven has been looking kind of bored.

"Nee-san, it's not like I'm gonna go out there to get killed by a yakuza, right? It's just Shizu-chan." He lightly wave a hand in the air. Although in the back of his mind, if it were a fight, it would probably be more dangerous to seriously fight Shizuo compared to the yakuza. Learning from the previous fights, that guy got super human strength for sure.

One of the helper girl, a brown haired junior maiko finally spoken up, "Ahh you know, Izaya-san, everyone has been talking about it, you sure are lucky! Your danna is really popular with the girls."

Namie chuckled lightly at that statement and added, "They've been trying to take a glimpse of him whenever he came to visit you, I guess it's been a while since the girls are treating a client like celebrity."

"Heiwajima-sama _is_ handsome!" replied the younger of the junior maiko with a pout, as if defending the okiya's girls' obsession towards the blond male.

"...well I suppose Shizu is a typical hunk." commented Izaya absent mindedly.

The two junior maikos turned to look at each other upon hearing Izaya's comment. It seems like there were some unspoken communication between the two during their eye contact. Because shortly, they nodded at each other and the older one lean forward towards Izaya.

"so...how's it?"

The raven raise an eyebrow and met with curious pair of eyes. He didn't quite catch what they were talking about at first, until a split second later, it clicked in his mind.

"How's it my arse. there's just no way we're going for it." spat Izaya. It would be fun to tease the girls by giving them the wrong information and ideas, but considering it's about him and Shizuo, Izaya decided not to - because the very idea itself creeps him as well.

The two girls looked somewhat let down by the response, it's been heard that Izaya doesn't really get along with the young Heiwajima, but the girls might've expected an interesting answer. So Izaya sighed and continued, "That Shizu-chan is attractive, is a fact. But that doing _it_ would be the last thing I'd ever wanna do with that guy, is also a fact. The latter is a stronger fact than the former."

One of the girl snickered at the statement.

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The carriage arrive by the next hour in front of the okiya. And the young master Heiwajima was greeted and politely welcomed into the okiya, lead towards the garden in front of a certain room for him to wait a bit until the room and everything is ready for them to start the ceremony. He was actually offered to wait in a separate room, tended by a couple of another geisha, but he felt that waiting in the garden would calm him better before the suffocatingly formal ceremony begin.

He waited for a bit and look around, until he heard the steps of two people walking towards where he stands. The two people decided to stand in a few meters distance on the left of the blond male.

Standing there is a sight that would take anyone's breath away. A slender figure with unearthly beauty, pale smooth skin, contrasting jet black hair, deep crimson pair of eyes, facial feature as if it were a sculpted porcelain masterpiece, clad in the most luxurious and beautiful kimono Shizuo has ever seen. The figure's expression were solemn, his eyes looking at straight ahead, and hands folded in front of him.

It is truly a breath taking view. The black kimono looks strikingly contrast to his pale and lithe figure, blossoming patterns of higanbana looks like the angry red spider lilies that are said to bloom within the dark realm of the afterlife. Is it so terrifying it's beautiful or is it so beautiful it's terrifying? Shizuo couldn't really put a finger on it

There's also a beautifully intricate gold maru obi with butterflies embroideries all over, embroidered with metal-coated yarn and foilwork. The back knot of the obi actually makes the lean geisha-to-be looks like an elegant butterfly.

Beautiful, no matter how many times the word is mentioned, would still be an underestimation. Standing beside him is a junior maiko and albeit clad in a festive red kimono, she still looks dim in comparison to Izaya.

The raven finally notice the staring and turn his head to look straight towards Shizuo, flashing him a very serene and beautiful smile that caught the blond off guard for a second. It is undoubtedly one of the most captivating smile Shizuo has seen, but it's obviously so very uncharacteristic of Izaya. Izaya is no angel, but the innocent smile will works just fine on people who doesn't really know Izaya well.

Upon seeing the reaction he got for the smile he just displayed, Izaya shift his eyes slightly and look the other way. From where he's standing, Shizuo can see the raise on the corner of Izaya's lips forming into his trademark smug smirk- the raven had for sure practiced this, and he's good at it.

"Well then. Heiwajima-sama, let's proceed to the room" said Namie who had just approached the blond. Having picked up the sign, Izaya and the junior maiko; acting as the lady-in-waiting, got ahead of them and walked their way into the designated room.

* * *

The coming-of-age ceremony itself took about half a day, and by the time the sun is setting down, they're done with it.

It was fully ceremonial proceedings and rites of passages without any sexual undertone as some outsider might've mistakenly think of it. After all, although the right to the maiko's virginity is there, neither the patron nor the maiko in question here are consent into it this time. The whole practice itself is usually misunderstood by outsiders mostly because the geisha world; the "flower and willow world," is a very separate society that is shrouded in mystery. It is a separate, very elitist world, and one that was supposed to be kept private, people were not particularly comfortable speaking about it.

The deflowering is an essential part of the ritual for courtesans, but definitely not for geishas.

Upon exiting the room into the garden in front of it, Shizuo took his time to gaze up at the reddish sky. Now, it all depends on him- whether he want to continue associating himself with the geisha world or simply retreat back to how he was.

While he was lost in his train of thought, he could hear faint sound of music from a distant; which happen to be a room on the other side of the garden. The sliding door isn't even half closed, and there was several maiko on training in there. One in particular caught his eyes; the girl with jet black hair and dark brown eyes; which reflect the sunset sky and the room's lighting- sometimes in a second, you could see them glimmering red.

The girl is one of the two who were practicing dance within that room. The others are on their musical instruments.

Izaya stayed in the room with Namie for about some time after the ceremony is done, and neither Shizuo or any other people bother to disturb them; it could've been a private talk. Sometimes, a mentor can feel quite sentimental upon her apprentice's mizuage, because that's where their role ends- sort of like a mother letting her child grow up and defend for herself. But that's most likely not the case with this pair of mentor and apprentice. It could be money talk, it could be anything.

Shortly, Shizuo got a tap on his shoulder, and when he turned around, his eyes met with a pair of crimson ones.

"Shizu-chan wouldn't mind to come with me, right?" The owners of the crimson orb said with a smile.

Then, lead by Izaya, both of them walked into the room they usually occupy during Shizuo's regular visit.

Izaya slide close the door in silence. The atmosphere in the room changes somehow, and Shizuo knows that something's off with the raven.

After a brief moment of silence, the raven began to spoke; with his back still facing the blond, "Shizu-chan.. don't you think that lately, you've been sticking your nose into someone else's problem?"

Now Izaya turn his face towards Shizuo. The smile on the pale skin indicates danger, and the glimmers on the red orbs shine threateningly.

"What did Namie tell you, Izaya." -no more 'flea', 'bastard' or anything. Just plain Izaya. Sure the atmosphere had changed between the two. And it isn't by any means, a pleasant atmosphere. There's no more of the playfulness but the serious tension.

".. hmm. I wonder." Izaya's smirk grew wider; just like a cat's deadly grin upon its prey. The cat stares into the prey for seconds, as if carefully examining, before he continued, "so it's true. You confronted Namie for the scars on my back. Am I right?"

Shizuo raised an eyebrow at the raven's response. It didn't seem like Namie directly tell anything towards the raven, but his reply earlier had convinced the raven. "you…were guessing?" mocha eyes shift slightly.

"Yes. Since Shizu-chan is so simple-minded. Or rather said; protozoan brained."

Izaya moves closer towards Shizuo. Leaving not much room between the two of them.

And in a brief of a moment, Shizuo could already feel the touch of a cold metal against the skin on his neck.

A tanto. He cold see the blade glimmer from the corner of his eyes.

"next time I'm telling you to stay off from my problem, listen..will you?" It was a whisper, a sharp deadly whisper spoken to the blond's right ear. Izaya threateningly put more pressure so that the blade would dug further into the skin, but not yet enough pressure to spill blood.

With an iron grip, Shizuo push away Izaya's lean hands off- knowing that it's just a threat, for now. But it won't be if there happen to be a second time.

Eitherway, no matter how good Izaya is at playing with dagger, when it comes to close distance, Shizuo is by far percentage superior. He's physically stronger than the raven.

Now that Izaya had withdrew his weapon, Shizuo can get a look at the item; noting that it is an ornate tanto; not the usual kaiken or simple tanto that's usually in the hands of women or common people for self defense. It's more likely a gift from a samurai serving for feudal lord- since they're the only ones who're prone of carrying such tanto.

Izaya sighed after he's done wrapping the item and hiding it back within his kimono. He stood up and slide open the door, then gesturing Shizuo to come with him out of the room. They walk through corridors to the garden, in silence during half of their trip until Izaya decided to speak up, "Namie really wants to be the one to inherit this okiya. So that she's been desperately trying to prove herself in front of her mother- the current head of this okiya."

Shizuo is a little perplexed that the raven would be willing to speak up, but it's mostly on a whim. So he followed up, "That Namie..isn't she the eldest daughter of this okiya's owner? Won't this place just be directly handed over to her when the time's come..?" The blond's mocha eyes wander left and right for a little bit, just in case Namie is around to listen to their talk.  
But no sign of the woman.

The raven shrug lightly "I guess it was supposed to work like that. But the owner of this okiya—also has an adopted daughter. And she favored this adopted daughter more than her own flesh and blood; Namie." Izaya chuckles mockingly at the end of his statement.

This news is new to Shizuo's ears. Although the Heiwajima family is well acquainted with the okiya, it's probably only his father that knows well about their inner issues. Not that the okiya lets out many of their private matters towards outsiders.

"..So this pathetic woman has to fight over for the position of the next head of this okiya. Other than that, she's also fighting for her pride and ambition. Since the man she actually loves, also fell in love with that adopted sibling of her." Izaya continued.

The condition he just mentioned only reinforced the fact that there's a strong rivalry between these sisters; leaving space for unhealthy, ambitious competitive spirit.

"It's amusing to see how love and pride drive can a woman to do anything." Izaya smirked, with hint of glee within his eyes.

"sick bastard." Shizuo spat flatly. Izaya is twisted, and it's clear that he finds this to be an enjoyment for himself.

"…other than that, is for the sake of my personal ego." mumbled Izaya almost inaudibly. But the blond, didn't quite catch that. Mostly because Izaya seems to be talking to himself this time. This man isn't at all weak, and he would never consider himself as a victim, in fact, he finds Namie's actions to be interesting.

They finally arrived at the garden, and Izaya points a finger into the room with its open door.

".. and that girl over there, is Sonohara Anri. The apprentice of Namie's adopted sibling." Izaya now points directly at the girl Shizuo had watched practicing earlier.

" so basically.. that's your rival."

A pout was what Shizuo got as a response. "..that sounds so degrading when you say so, Shizu-chan." The usual annoying, playful Izaya is back, and Shizuo doesn't even know if he's supposed to feel relieved about it.

"Then what do you want me to say?"

"at least make me sounds like a better comparison to her, duh." complain the raven, before he continued,

"Oh and Anri's mentor is actually out on vacation at the moment, though she's scheduled to be back to Japan very soon. I think she went with her boyfriend too. How convenient huh?" there's a mocking smile gracing that flawless face of his.

Speaking of which, it suddenly reminds Shizuo of the chat he had with Tom some time ago. About their friends' and his girlfriend's come back to Japan after a vacation overseas. It's going to be soon right? He couldn't really remember the exact date due to his business nowadays, but they did plan to meet up upon the friend's return. Shizuo hasn't seen the said girlfriend yet, but he's quite curious on what kind of person she would be, considering that Shizuo's friend; Shinra, is a pretty peculiar person himself.

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**Closing A/N of the chapter:**That was kinda longer than this story's usual chapters, I guess. Maybe it's because I've finally gotten to the point where I can expand the plot a little bit. But some of you might've actually taken the hint as to why I put in the short chapter 3 and the appearance of Tom, right? :"D

Anyway, that's all for now. Reviews are loved and will ensure the continuation of this fic! ; u ; xoxo


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